Moving On
by BadWolfIsMe
Summary: Doctor, I found the right man for me and he wasn't you..." whispered words on a small beach. long forgotten to everyone. but for Rose and the Doctor, those whispered words changed both their lives. Forever
1. The Dream

**hello, fine people! a new story for you all!**

**okay, i have no _idea _what the hell was going through my head as i wrote this (especially the first bit - you have been warned!) but it just kinda came to me and wouldn't leave me alone, so i decided to put myself out of my miserey and write it all down!**

**please REVIEW!! i have no idea where to take this, so i need as much inspiration as i can get!**

**hope you enjoy!**

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"Doctor I'm sorry, I just can't do this anymore,"

The Doctor looked at Rose. His amazing, beautiful Rose. He looked at the tears whelming in her eyes and said… nothing. There was nothing to say. He knew what was coming next.

"I would've waited my whole life, but that just wasn't enough, was it?"

Still the Doctor said nothing. Instead, he looked at his shoes, the pain in his Rose's eyes was just too much for his two hearts to bare.

"Doctor, I found the right man for me… and he wasn't you. I'm going to marry him. He loves me…"

It was then that he should've said something. It was then that he could've changed what happened next, the look in Rose's eyes were telling that.

_Just say no, Doctor. Just say you need me and I will come with you._

But still the Doctor just couldn't find the words,

"Doctor, I loved you with everything I was. I would've followed you to the edge of the Earth if you had told me it was flat, and you wanted to see if it was true.

"But you could never say it, could you? You could never fight for me. Not in that way. Fight for my life, yes, but for me – and only me – that's something you could never do."

Rose was crying freely now. She was looking at him with hatred and pain, but still there was something, _something_ telling him to stay, pleading with him to fight.

"You'll be… you're invited to the wedding, if you want to come…" Rose all but whispered, one last hope in her breaking voice.

"I can't. I'm sorry." The Doctor eventually found his voice, but it was too late. Too late to stop her, "Good luck, Rose Tyler, have a fantastic life. For me…" he whispered the last bit, so quiet he couldn't be sure that Rose heard him. He couldn't be sure if he_ wanted_ Rose to hear him.

The Doctor turned and walked back up the beach. Away from the woman he loved with all and both his hearts.

"Doctor…" Rose whispered, but the Doctor never turned. Never looked back. He was slowly dying with every step he took, knowing that he would never be able to go back.

Rose was happy, and that was all the Doctor had ever wanted he to be – happy. So why wasn't he happy? Rose could have the life she had always dreamed of, with a man who loved her. With the Doctor she would be hurt and broken. Why wasn't he pleased for her? He should be pleased.

He reached the TARDIS.

_Turn around, Doctor. Tell her you want her. Tell her how much you need her and she will come. She can be yours. She loves you._

But the Doctor didn't turn around. He didn't run up to Rose and place his arms around her and beg for her to come with him, like he knew he should. He didn't tell her what she meant to him. He just left. And broke his hearts in the process.

.o0o0o

"Rose!"

The Doctor woke with a start, only to be met by firm hands as he tried to sit up,

"Rose?" the Doctor repeated, slightly confused,

"No, Doctor, Rose is gone. It's me, it's Jamee," the Doctor blinked, and looked up at the woman holding him softly but firmly. Sure enough, it was Jamee, not Rose, with her arms loosely draped around his shoulders, guiding him up from his uneasy sleeping position at the TARDIS control desk.

He must've fallen asleep at the computer again. Unusual, as a Time Lord he didn't need much sleep, but lately he seemed to be falling asleep at his work more and more often.

"It was the dream again, wasn't it?" Jamee asked the groggy and, quite frankly, confused Doctor,

"Yer…" the Doctor replied, sinking into his thoughts again.

It had been a year since that day at the beach. Since the day his Rose had declared she was to be married. Since he lost her.

"You miss her." It wasn't a question, it was just a statement. True, the Doctor did miss Rose. He missed the way she took his hand whenever she was scared, or excited, or sad… or happy – for that matter. He missed the way she called his name and the way no-one in the universe could make such a good cup of tea. He missed everything about her.

_Forget her, Doctor, _a little voice in the back of his mind said, _move on. She has._

Oh, how the Doctor hated that little voice!

Jamee was still there, looking at the Doctor with concern and pity in her eyes. The Doctor knew that look all too well. Smiling at her, sadly, the Doctor pulled Jamee into a tight hug, letting her rest her tired head onto his welcoming shoulder.

Yes. He missed Rose.

.o0o0o

"_Doctor…" A final resort for a girl who's heart was breaking, watching the man she had loved walk away from her. Knowing he would never return. A plead, a beg for him to turn around, to shout "No!" and whisk her off in his arms away to some random, far away place, never to look back. But he wouldn't do that, not her Doctor. In his eyes she was happy with her fiancé, and he would never take that away from her._

_And she loved him for that._

_And she hated him for that_

"Rose?" A gentle voice broke into Rose's memories, and she looked to see Toby's smiling, but slightly worried face peering at her through the semi-darkness.

"Rose, you alright?"

They had been married for about a year now, and Rose still found herself thinking and dreaming of the Doctor! She had to let go, or risk loosing her husband.

"It was the dream again, wasn't it?" Rose nodded, slightly. Oh, how she hated to admit it to him when her head was filled with the Doctor. A man who was so obviously _not_ her husband.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning into Toby's warm chest and listening to his _one_ heartbeat.

She remembered leaning into the Doctor's chest, that first time, before she had known about his second heart. She remembered seeking comfort, and, not realising what she was doing, laying her head against his chest, only to jump back as she was greeted by a _double _heartbeat! Bloody hell that man had made her jump!

It hadn't taken Rose long to get used to that lovely, steady, reassuring, double heartbeat. Before long, it was all she needed.

_Stop! Stop that right now!_

Rose thought, furious with herself for thinking of that!

_The Doctor's gone. Forever._

Tears welled up in her eyes as Rose thought that, but she shook herself as she added,

_But I don't need him. I've got Toby. He's all I need now!_

That was right. She had chosen Toby. Not the Doctor. Toby would stand by her side no matter what.

_The Doctor stood by your side, no matter what. He even stood by your side when you were choosing someone else!_

Oh, how Rose was beginning to loath that little voice in the back of her head. She knew it was speaking the truth, but that's not the sort of thing you think of. Not while in bed. With your husband. No, not good.

.o0o0o

"Rose?" Toby had woken to the quiet sounds of sobbing from beside him. He knew without looking or thinking that it was Rose. And, although it broke his heart, he knew exactly why.

"Rose, are you alright?" and again, he knew without her having to answer that she wasn't alright.

"It was the dream again, wasn't it?" he felt her nod slowly against his arm, and felt his heart break.

He knew she still thought about the Doctor. From the moment she watched him walk away from her on that beach, he knew she missed him.

They had watched him go. That Doctor. Watched him walk away, leaving Rose behind with no-one. Just Toby.

He didn't try to kid himself into thinking that Rose never wandered what her life would've been like if she hadn't chosen him. If she had left with her Doctor. But she had. She had chosen Toby. And for all he loved her for it, he never stopped wondering if Rose, his Rose, had made the right decision.

"Are you okay?" he had asked her, as soon as the Doctor had disappeared in that blue box of his.

She had never answered, and Toby knew she probably never would.

Toby had walked up to her, and put his arms around her, pulling her into a hug, but she had pushed him away. She had turned her head so he wouldn't see the tears, but he knew they were there. She had ran away after that, and Toby didn't think she had ever stopped running. Oh, she came back to him after a few hours, stating "I just needed some time to be alone," but since that day, something inside her just, sorta, shut down. Like part of herself was switched off, and whenever Toby, or anyone else for that matter, tried to talk to her about it, she just changed the subject.

Rose lent her head against his chest, her breathing slowing down to match the steady rhythm of his own. He brought up a hand and began gently stroking her arm, desperately trying to calm her, and reassure her that everything would be okay.

As Rose drifted off into another uneasy sleep, Toby knew her dreams would return to the Doctor, and not him.

_I have her, she chose me._

But he still couldn't ignore that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that said,

_But she wanted to chose the Doctor._


	2. The Pain

**Right... Yes... Now then... Um... Yer...  
Okay, i know it's been a while since i updated, but like i said before (see A Way Back - chap.8), i've been suffering from really bad writers block, and altogether too much homework!  
But, oh well, i'm back and i'm better than ever (hopefully!)! I'm here, ready with the next chapter and i promise i will leave much less time between now and the next update (again, hopefully!)**

**Thank you for all the lovely reviews i have recieved, and thank you to everyone who has put this story on their favourites/alerts list. thanks for having so much faith in me, when i really didn't know what i was doing with this story! hehe! lol!**

**Please REVIEW if you are enjoying this story so far, and REVIEW if you are not - tell me what wrong with it, but don't be too mean!**

**Got any idea's about the next chapter? drop me a REVIEW, and i may use it. my mind is seriously lacking in a plot, so any ideas would be very welcome!**

**thanks!  
enjoy!**

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"Rose…" Just a whisper, he's breath tickling her ear. If she squinted, she could just about make out a dark, pinstripe suit, standing slightly behind her, but it could've been the cliff edge, standing tall and proud behind her.

"Rose, don't cry," his calming voice soothed over Rose's imposing tears, like a feather on the wind.

"I just… I don't know any more…" Rose whispered, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

His hand grazed her shoulder, and even though it was merely another, strong, gust of wind, playing with her loose strands of hair.

"Ah! Thought I'd find you here!" Toby declared as he walked up to his beloved Rose.

She was leaning on a fence, looking out to sea. Shadows danced across her face.

"So, how are you?" he asked, slipping his hand over hers, pressing down slightly, as if to check she was awake.

Rose let out a small sigh, before turning to face her husband. He could see the tears in her eyes, and the path others had made down her face.

Toby lifted a hand, ready to brush yet another tear from Rose's tired face, but she looked away, back to the sea.

"Rose…" he begged, "Please. I know you've been finding it hard lately, but…"

He couldn't finish. He couldn't finish because of Rose's deep, brown eyes, pleading with him to stop. She didn't need Toby to voice the words she had been thinking herself for so long recently.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, leaning into him, her arms wrapping around his neck, pulling him in for a hug.

He was loosing her. He didn't try to fool himself otherwise. She had chosen him once before, but would she chose him a second time if the chance came?

_Toby or the Doctor?_

_Me or Him?_

The same thought in both minds. The same painful, heart wrenching thought, over and over again.

Who _would_ she chose if she could go back? If she could chose again?

They stood like that for a long time. Just satisfied with there and then. Being together because they could be. Because they were.

But their thoughts kept drifting back to the Doctor. The man Rose had loved.

It all came back to the same thing – would she chose again? Or would she stick with the man she married?

.o0o0o

"Rose…" her name was just a whisper on the wind, slipping out of his mouth like satin in his hands. The Doctor preferred satin to silk. He just found it nicer than silk, more textured, more real than the surreal smoothness of silk. It was more like his Rose. More perfect.

The Doctor lent back on the cold, brick wall, his head resting just under Rose's old bedroom window. She didn't live there anymore, of course, Toby could afford a much better home for himself and his wife than the Powell Estate.

_His wife. Rose Richards. Mr and Mrs Richards._ The Doctor frowned in distaste.

Kicking his legs out in front of him, the Doctor realised what a plonker he must look, sat on a fire escape, outside some random, unlived in house. A house that had not been lived in for years.

If he looked up, through the window, some reminders of the girl who used to call this place her home still remained. Her bed was still there, all made up and ready to be slept in. a few clothes still lay scattered around the room.

The Doctor smiled to himself, _that Rose Tyler was a messy girl! _He thought, fond memories welling up in his head.

He knew he shouldn't be there. He knew it was unfair on Jamee to just leave while she slept like that. But she was safe. He was sure she could stay out of trouble for a few minuets while he sat there. She was in the TARDIS, what could happen? He could allow himself some time to think. Some time to be alone. Even now, after all he'd been through, he still needed that.

.o0o0o

"Doctor!" Jamee's cry echoed through the empty TARDIS, as she looked for the Doctor.

She had only been asleep for a small amount of time, just enough to let herself recharge, before waking, ready for another adventure.

"Doctor! Where are you?" she called, not really worried, she knew he wouldn't be far. He wouldn't just leave her.

"Where is he, old girl? Have you seen him?" she asked, running her fingers along the controls of the magnificent time ship. She had seen the Doctor do that so many times, just stroke the TARDIS, and it was something she noticed Rose doing more and more often over the short period of time she was there.

The ship hummed slightly. Jamee sighed. She wished she could understand the complexity of the way the TARDIS communicated. She knew the Doctor could, and she was pretty sure Rose had began to figure it out before she left. Left the Doctor heartbroken. Alone.

Well, he wasn't really alone, he had her. Jamee vowed to herself, that the Doctor would always have her. Someone to listen to him. Even once she'd gone – as she knew she couldn't stay forever, her time would come, like so many before her – she hoped the Doctor would know that she would always be there for him, should he need her.

Giving up, Jamee walked towards the TARDIS door.

"Well, we've stopped _somewhere_," she declared, to either the ship or herself.

Carefully and curiously, Jamee pushed through the door, and let herself out into… London.

"The Powell Estate. I should've known," she whispered to herself.

Making her way towards the big block of houses, Jamee didn't stop once. She knew this route by heart, after all, the Doctor went there so often. To loose himself in his thoughts. Thoughts about one person in particular…

"Well, I might've known…" Jamee said, grinning slightly, proud of herself for finding him. Although it hadn't been that hard, she had known where he was going to be.

The Doctor smiled up at the approaching form of his current companion, but it was a half smile, a memory of a smile.

"You alright?" Jamee asked, as she slid down the wall to sit next to him,

"I'm always alright." He replied, budging up to give her more space to sit.

_Alright. _The Doctor always said that, when Jamee knew perfectly well that he wasn't. But she nodded, she smiled, she tried to tell him, without any words, that she was there if he needed her. When he was ready to talk, she would listen.

"You've got to stop doing this, you know," Jamee murmured, turning to face the emptiness of the Doctor's eyes.

"What?" he asked, all innocence.

"Just all… this!" she almost shouted, waving her arm around, showing the Doctor – trying to show the Doctor – what he was doing to himself, "It's not fair, you've got to let her go!

"You're killing yourself," she added, in scarcely more than a whisper.

"I can't…" the Doctor told her, in even more than a whisper than Jamee's previous sentence.

"Can't you see? She's happy! She's living her life! And she would want you to do the same! Move on, Doctor, she has."

"Can't _you _see? I CAN'T move on! everything I do, everywhere I go, I can't help but think how much she would enjoy it! Every time I don't know what to do, or I'm confused, all I can think of is how quickly she would work everything out! How much better I was with her! How she lit up my every day! You just don't understand, you _can't _understand." The Doctor replied, getting angry. How could she understand what he was going through, no-one could understand him now.

_Rose would understand. She would know exactly what to say right now._

The Doctor shook himself, this wasn't the time. Although he knew his thoughts were right. Rose would know what to do. She would take his hand, rest her head on his shoulder, and whisper words he needed to hear in his ear, making him feel instantly better.

But she was gone now. She had chosen someone else.

"Right… I don't understand…" Jamee said, her voice a strangled attempt to keep her welling anger out. Standing up, she made to move, but didn't get far before she let out all the thoughts that had been swelling in her head for a long time now.

"I DON'T UNDERSTAND??" she shouted, letting her wind anger and fury at the Doctor's heartlessness flow, "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING!!"

"I lost her!" the Doctor yelled, anger to rival Jamee's blowing out as he tried to defend himself.

"You've forgotten, haven't you," she whispered, causing the Doctor to stop, taken aback, "You've forgotten Richard." Her accusing tone was enough to stun the Doctor back into silence.

"Ah! You remember him now. Remember how he died. Remember how I _watched_ him die." Jamee sneered at the Doctor, unpleasant memories of Richard's frantic screams and cries for help as he had been swallowed in a painful and bloody death, "I was going to be married to him. I was going to be happy," wishful thinking took over her voice as Jamee thought about her lost love, "But it wasn't to be. I had to watch him burn. I had to sit, and cry as his life ended. And I could've done something. I could've stopped it. Could've saved him. But I was too afraid… To scared to help."

"Jamee…" the Doctor breathed, reaching out a hand to place it reassuringly on her arm, but she pulled away, "There was nothing anyone could do. You couldn't have saved him."

Jamee turned back to look at the Doctor, staring him in the eyes, placing him in a very uncomfortable position.

"But don't you worry. _I don't understand_. Remember?

"Just think about this, next time you're wallowing in self pity, Richard _died_. There isn't a day go by when I don't think about him. And if he could be alive – if he could be happy – but be with someone else, I would prefer that, rather than this hollowing guilt that overwhelms me whenever I think of him."

The Doctor looked at his shoes, unable to hold Jamee's piercing gaze.

"You think you've got it bad. She's _alive_, Doctor, and she's happy. Be happy for her. I wish I could have the chance to be happy for him…" she was going to say something else, but at that moment, her voice failed her, and Jamee fell gladly into the Doctor's hesitant, but waiting arms, sobbing freely into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," he whispered, stroking her shaking back.

Jamee was right, he had forgotten. And he was being unfair, only thinking about Rose. She was happy and living her life, like he should be. Jamee was so right about everything. And he was sorry. So sorry.

.o0o0o

Toby walked in to find Rose hurriedly filling an old suitcase with clothes. Stuffing in as much as she could fit into such a small bag.

He smiled sadly as he watched Rose trying to stuff yet another pair of shoes into the already bulging bag. He wasn't sure why she didn't just get another bag, after all, the bag she was using was much too small to fit any more of her clothes in – but that wasn't stopping her from trying.

Rose finally gave up trying to fit any more things into her tiny bag, and instead began sitting on it, pushing it down into a closable shape. Something she was finding horribly difficult, given the ridiculous amount of clothes and other items badly packed in it.

She began jumping on the overcrowded bag in a desperate attempt to shut it. Rose turned to reach the zip, tugging on it to pull it shut. She looked up, suddenly noticing the figure in the door.

She looked up at him briefly, before turning back to her suitcase and closing it, firmly.

She then picked up the old, tatty bag, and Toby found himself wondering, for the second time why she didn't just get another bag, a bigger bag. His thoughts were interrupted, however, when Rose walked up to him, carrying the bag over one shoulder.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered, slowly pulling her wedding ring off her finger, "I am so, so sorry… I think I've made a terrible mistake…" Rose pressed the small, metal ring into Toby's surprisingly steady hand, before walking past him, just brushing his shoulder.

Just as Rose was about to walk out the front door, when she turned back to Toby, who hadn't moved from his place in the doorframe. She looked at him, saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes, but also the understanding that she was doing what she needed to, and whispered, "I love you. Remember that."

Then she was gone, leaving Toby still standing there, alone.

He looked at the ring in his hand, and allowed the cold realisation wash over him. Rose was gone, and she wasn't coming back. The thoughts that had been tailing them for such a long time now had finally been put into action. She had made her decision again, and she had chosen differently.

Toby didn't regret for one moment any of the seconds he had spent with Rose Tyler – known for the past year as Rose Richards – she had given him life, when he thought he had lost all reason for it. She had lit up his world, and he hoped that she would find the man who would light up hers.

He wished her every happiness in her life. He would always remember his Rose, and would always hold his arms open to her, should she ever want to return to him. Although something inside him told Toby that he would never see his wife again.

She was gone.

Forever.


	3. The Memories

**hello! i'm back! sorry about the delay!(hopefully) won't happen again!**

**it was all down to my stupid laptop suddenly losing grasp of the internet :( causing me to cry for a week! (or about that long!)**

**quite a long chapter, hopefully makes up for the delay.**

**i know exactly how to start the next chapter, so shouldn't be such a long wait.**

**please keep REVIEWing, everyone who has REVIEWed so far. and those of you who are new to this story, please REVIEW it, and tell me what you think! all opinions welcome!  
also, if anyone has any ideas for this story, write me a review telling me where you would take it. i would love to hear your ideas, and any that i REALLY like, may just make an appearence! what's the harm? obviously, i will also mention you and dedicate at least that chapter to whoever's idea i descide to pinch! i want ideas!**

**so, please enjoy, REVIEW, and give me an idea for another chapter!**

**until the next time...**

* * *

Rose was walking away. Away from her life as Rose Richards. It took everything she had not to simply turn back, to go back to the man she had told everyone she loved. The man she had married.

At the same time, however, she wanted to run, to flea her old life. She wanted to taste the stars again.

But it was more than that. She wanted to see him again. The man she had spent the past year trying to convince herself she didn't love, but feelings kept springing up for nonetheless.

Rose Tyler or Rose Richards. Two names. Two lives. She had a choice a long time ago, and she realised now that she had made the wrong one. It may be too late to put that right now, but Rose knew that she couldn't stop until she found out. Until she was told, face to face, that there was nothing she could do. That she couldn't go back to the life she lost – by her own stupidity.

Round the corner, away from the life she knew and the friends she made. Away from everything that she thought was important to her. But not any more. Because now she knew, that she never really could give up the Doctor, he was the life she needed, and Toby would be just fine on his own. He would get a second chance, where Rose would only get the one. There was only one man for her, and he was the last. The last Time Lord. One. One Time Lord and One love for Rose's One heart.

_Toby will be alright. _Rose knew, or she hoped that her once-beloved husband would find love once again. She hoped that he would life a happy and accomplished life. She hoped he got everything he ever wanted, even it if didn't get her. She just… couldn't do it any more. She eventually realised that she had to either stop thinking about the Doctor or go out and _do_ something about it. Rose had chosen to act, after all, she never had been any good at just sitting around. Something the Doctor had shown her could be a good thing.

_God, he showed me so much. Please, please don't let it be too late!_ Rose thought, as she broke into a run. Running to only-God-knows, but running despite. And she would never stop. Always running. Always. Until she found her Doctor. Until she got her answer.

_I can't do this on my own!_

.o0o0o

The Doctor stood up suddenly, startling Jamee, who had almost fell asleep against the Doctor's still form.

"Time to go." He offered, reaching out a hand to pull his faithful companion to her feet, a blank expression on his face.

"Yeah," Jamee whispered, smiling sadly at the man who showed her the universe, but had his taken away from him. She felt such pain for this man; he had picked her up at a time when she was most broken, and he had taught her to live again. She wished she could do the same for him, she wished she could make him better. But no-one could do that now. He was lost. He kept travelling, kept showing her the universe, although it had stopped showing him anything.

Anywhere they went, anything they did, Jamee knew the Doctor would rather be doing it with Rose. Every time he showed her something new, she knew that he was wondering what Rose would think of it. Jamee was perfectly aware of living in Rose's shadow, but she was okay with that, because she knew the Doctor saw her differently to Rose, and she didn't ever want to be more to the Doctor than a friend.

She knew the Doctor had someone like her before, but Jamee never knew what happened to Donna Noble. All she knew was that it was bad, and the Doctor didn't like to talk about it.

So she let him pull her to her feet. She let the Doctor take her back to the TARDIS. All she did was wonder, how long until they were back?

The Powell Estate held strong memories for the Doctor, and Jamee was proud to say that he had shared some with her. She did think that the Doctor should go there less often, because he almost always came back to the TARDIS with tears in his eyes after visiting the place, but it did seem to be somewhere he could really _think_.

Jamee sighed, true, the Doctor had let her in – much more than he thought he should've done, but still – and true, she was like a rock for him, but she wished she could help him more. She listened to the Doctor, held his hand when he was quiet, but she wanted to do more, she wanted to cure him. But she knew, and understood, that there was nothing she could do to help him get over this. He would have to do it alone. After her own experiences, she knew not to push the Doctor, just be there when he needed her.

Hand-in-hand, Jamee and the Doctor walked away from the Powell Estate and back to the TARDIS. Leaving the Doctor with one last, lingering look at the place it had all, _properly_, started.

_Come back to me Rose. Please come back._ He thought, before following Jamee inside and starting the engines of his amazing time ship, flying them away from that place. He knew he would be back. Every time he closed his eyes, or fell asleep, his dreams took him away from space, and aliens, and life-threatening situations, and back to a time when his life was worth the fight. His dreams no longer distressing scenes of his home planet being destroyed, but now one, single scene over and over again.

"_I just can't do this anymore"_

Haunting him, teasing him, tricks of the mind playing with him. He wished he could just forget. Forget that _stupid_ shop girl. That amazing, fantastic, one-in-a-million shop girl. The shop girl who saved him more times than she'll ever know. The shop girl who broke him with just two, simple words – "I'm sorry".

.o0o0o

Rose finally stopped running. Where she was, she had no idea, but she really didn't care. She didn't know where she was going, and only had a faint idea of the direction she had come from.

She had left now. There was no denying her leaving. She couldn't go back. There was nothing left for her in her old life. Rose Richards was dead, and in her place was Rose Tyler, back and better then ever!

Rose couldn't mourn her life, because even she had to admit it had been great. She loved Toby with so much of herself, but she just couldn't do what she had been doing to him any longer. She had to stop hurting him, and with it, she finally stopped hurting herself. She hadn't realised how lost she had been until she had finally left the path. She was alone now, and didn't have anywhere to go, but she was more home then she had been for the past 2 years of her life. Because she knew now, she knew she could never give up on herself. She needed the adventure.

Like she had said, so long ago; _it was a better life. The Doctor showed me a better way of living your life!_

She needed to be helping people. She needed to take the risk. She needed her life back. A life of helping. A life of saving. A life of the Doctor and the TARDIS.

Never killing. Never hurting. Merely healing, then leaving without a fuss. They didn't need recognition for what they did, they just came, helped, then left.

No hassle, no fuss, just moving on. Always moving on. Never staying in the same place for long.

Rose knew that letting go was the worst mistake of her life, and she would do anything, _anything_ to get that back. To get the Doctor back. The man who haunted her dreams for so long now showed himself to be the man Rose _Tyler_ needed to live her life.

She was sick of thinking of herself. Sick of dreaming about tomorrow. She wanted to live for now again. She wanted the present to be so good, so exciting, that she didn't need to turn her thoughts to the future – or to the past. - she wanted today. But today was only good if he was there. Holding her hand. Telling her what to do. The Doctor made her today bigger than yesterday, or tomorrow, and she knew now how much she needed, and missed, that.

Her life was worthless, but it had taken her a year to figure that out. Hopefully a year wasn't too long!

.o0o0o

"aka, this button here!" the Doctor finished with a flourish, pressing down on the button that sent the Amozes back to where they came from.

An echoing "Aaaaaaaaaa!!" filled the space craft the Doctor and Jamee were standing on. Jamee's lip was bleeding slightly, and the Doctor had a black eye, but they were alive, and relatively unharmed. They had stopped them. Saved the Earth one more time.

"For Rose Tyler…" the Doctor breathed into the screams, so quiet no-one could possibly have heard him, but he said it anyway. Another planet saved, another foe stopped, and another place he had won in Rose's name. The Doctor couldn't remember when he had started to say Rose's name every time he won, but now he did it without even thinking. For so long, he had fought in her name, the name that kept him going, it seemed almost natural that she was mentioned. He lived in her name now, kept going to keep her pathetic little planet alive, so she could live a happy life. The life he had left her to have.

Jamee didn't know about his lost whispers; lost in the screams as creatures that threatened the Earth were sent away – back to wherever they came from. The Doctor decided that he would not burden her with any more knowledge, he had already told her too much of his mind. He should be keeping her safe, helping _her_, not the other way around. But she was a light for the Doctor, she kept him going, didn't let him give up when Rose's memory got too much for him. Jamee saved the Doctor from himself, and he needed her now, needed her to keep him going, to remind him that Rose wouldn't want him to give up. She was his little voice of reason. She could never replace Rose, but she helped ease the pain a little.

"Doctor!" Jamee's startled voice sounded from somewhere above the Doctor's thoughts, causing him to look up sharply.

"Jamee, where are you?" he yelled, running up a flight of stairs towards her voice.

"I'm here! It's got me!" he turned a corner, and there she was. Jamee, faithful Jamee, an Amoze tightly wound around her ankle. "Get. It. Off!" she shouted as soon as she caught sight of the Doctor, shaking her leg viciously with each word.

The Doctor stepped forward, "Let go of her," he warned, pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

The small creature looked up, fear bristling in it's eyes. Seizing the advantage, Jamee kicked her leg, hard, sending the small, wiry alien flying across the room, where it then disappeared, pulled back to it's home planet with the rest of it's race.

Once she had recovered from her shock, Jamee rushed over to the Doctor, who picked her up and swung her round the room in a bone-crushing hug. Jamee didn't know what the _thing_ would've done to her, but she knew it wouldn't have been good.

When the Doctor finally placed his companion back on the ground, he turned to look at her,

"What would you've done to it?" she asked, genuinely interested,

"With the sonic screwdriver?" Jamee nodded, "Oh, nothing. It wouldn't worked against the Amoze." Seeing Jamee's shocked face, the Doctor continued, "It didn't need to do anything, I knew you would be clever enough to work out what to do, all I needed to do was distract it."

Jamee was flattered, and a bit annoyed. He trusted her enough to let her figure it out for herself, but what if she hadn't. What then? What could the Doctor have done then? She didn't know, so she asked.

The Doctor just shrugged, "Dunno," then he frowned, "Thank God you're so brilliant!" his frown was quickly replaced with a grin as he swept her up in another hug.

"Self Destruction in 2 minuets." A loud voice over sounded.

"Time to go, Doctor?" Jamee asked, cheekily.

"You think?" He replied, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the room, back to the TARIDS. Dodging crashing walls and burning rooms as the 2 minuets became 1… then 50 seconds…then 20….then 10… then….

"Run!" the Doctor yelled, pushing Jamee through the open doors of the TARDIS, before collapsing on top of her.

"Doctor," came a mumbled voice from the floor of the TARDIS,

"Yup!" the Doctor answered, popping the p,

"Ger-off me!" the Doctor found himself being rolled off the floor, landing in a rough, crumpled heap next to the girl he was currently supposed to be showing the universe – not sitting on.

"Opps! Sorry bout that!" he said, getting to his feet.

Jamee just groaned, but followed the Doctor up and over to the control desk, only to be scolded for leaving the door open.

"_Close the door will ya, you're ship's about to blow up, there'll be a draft!"_ A fond memory surfaced in the Doctor's mind. It was ages ago, when him and Rose had first met Jack. They had gone back to save him, and the Doctor couldn't get rid of him ever since! Not that he minded of course, it had taken him a while to get to trust him, but now Jack was a very good friend. In fact, the Doctor could barely remember a time without Jack, and would hate to have to go too long without his stupid flirting. It was all part of the Doctor's life now. Rose had trusted him instantly, of course, brilliant, Rose was, could spot a good one miles off.

_Oh Rose! I miss you so much!_ The Doctor thought. Funny, how everything could make him come up with the same thoughts. How much he missed Rose.

The Doctor looked up, Jamee had been talking to him. What she had been saying, however, he had no idea.

"Sorry, miles off," the Doctor said, flashing her one of his trademark grins.

"I know, I could see that!" she laughed at his disgruntled look, doubling over as he tried to look hurt at her statement. "I was just saying… Where to next?!" she declared, leaning over and flicking a switch on the other side of the Doctor, sending him flying about the TARDIS, as she went mad.

Jamee grinned, she had no idea what she had just done, but it certainly sent the Doctor into action. She hoped it wasn't _too_ bad, but she knew he'd be able to sort it out.

At his pained expression, though, Jamee instantly regretted her decision.

"Where are we?" she asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

"Nowhere…" he said, quickly pressing another button and sending the TARDIS into action, flying them away, but not before Jamee noticed the tear in his eye.

"Doctor…"

"It was nothing. Just rocks and dust." He insisted, "So, where d'you wanna go now?"

Jamee decided not to press him, instead declaring that she didn't mind, "Let's go anywhere!"

This made the Doctor's face light up, it had been a while since he had gone _anywhere_. He engaged the randomising mode, and let the TARDIS decided their next location.

They had all of time and space at their mercy, and the TARDIS knew exactly where to take them.


	4. The Old Friends

**hello again! how are we all?**

**Wow! REALLY long chappy this time! I actually can't believe how long it is! _REALLY_ hope you enjoy it!**

**You can give your thanks to **Seiya's Star **for the amazing idea of bringing Jack back - well done you!  
Explaination - i thought that Rose should have an old friend to go to, as the Doctor gets to see Jack again... I always really liked Sarah-Jane for some reason...**

**Thank you to everyone who has REVIEWed so far! and thank you for all your brilliant story suggestions - keep them coming people!**

**please REVIEW! and more ideas are more than welcome! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Vodka shot, ta," Rose said casually to the man behind the bar, who responded with a cherry smile and a flourish of spirits. Rose really couldn't be bothered with his surreal, happy mood, so she replied with a slight frown, allowing him to see a mere shadow of the thoughts and worries flooding her mind.

"You alright love?" he asked, seeing her brilliant eyes.

"Been a hard day," she answered, downing the shot, "Same again please."

With a slightly worried expression, the man turned to refill her glass. Setting it down in front of her, he then leant over the bar, clearly wanting to talk. He barely opened his mouth, however, when Rose butted in, "Don't really wanna talk about it."

He frowned, interested now, "You sure? Talking does some people the world of good."

Rose almost smiled despite herself. That was almost, _almost_ the sort of thing the Doctor would say.

"Ah, it's nothin," she insisted, turning him away. It would be good to talk, she knew that, but she just didn't know where to begin, didn't know what to say. She didn't know this man, and wasn't sure how far she could trust him. He seemed nice enough, but after all Rose had been through, she still found it hard. Sometimes. It was hard to let people in.

She supposed the Doctor had taught her that. One of the not-so-good things that had come out of her time with him. Not many not-so-good things, though. Mostly Rose cherished everything she learnt from the Doctor. Everything she did, everything she saw, everything he told her, she lived for. Because that was all that was left for Rose Tyler now.

She sighed, and downed another shot.

"Same again?" the man said, noticing Rose's glass was empty again. She should be alright for a couple more, she looked as if she was built of strong stuff, "On the house," he added, causing Rose to look up at him with her big, brown eyes. He didn't think he had ever seen such deep, thoughtful eyes, and he knew he probably never would again.

When he came back from getting her drink, the man noticed Rose rubbing her left ring finger, as though something was missing.

"My name's Tom, by the way, what's yours?" he asked, passing over the shot.

"Rose." She replied, taking the small glass.

"So, how'd ya come to be here then?" Tom wondered if he'd gone too far by asking this, he shouldn't have felt that of course, it was an honest and perfectly normal question there was something in her eyes… her enchanting eyes…

"Just, sorta, ended up here. No real plan. I'm just passin through." She commented, jumping from one sentence to the next, as if she was working out the answer for the first time herself.

She turned her back on Tom the barman and went back to her thoughts. He wondered if she was aware of rubbing her ring finger. She didn't look like she was paying much attention to what she was doing, but there was something about her that indicated to Tom that she would be perfectly capable of making him think that she was thinking of something completely different to what was actually going through her head.

"Thanks Tom, best be off!" Rose said suddenly, knocking back her last shot and placing the empty glass back on the bar next to the money she owed.

"Sure thing!" he replied, his fake smile back on his face, as he finished dealing with some other customers and walked over to Rose, just in time to stop her from walking out before he spoke to her, "Oh, and Rose…" he shouted after her, "Good luck. With… whatever."

"Thanks, Tom. And you." She smiled at him, a real smile that time. - or at least an echo of what he was sure a full Rose-smile could be - before turning and walking out of the bar, leaving a very confused bar-tenant behind.

He wasn't sure why he was so intrigued by this woman, but there was defiantly something about her, something he couldn't quite place.

A steady frown swept across his face as Tom weighed up the young – oh, so young, but still such age in her – girl, who just left.

"Um, hello? Can we get some service in here?" a loud, and altogether quite rude, voice broke into Tom's trance.

His frown was quickly replaced with his usual larger-than-life grin as he replied, "Yes, sir, of course! Be right with you!"

As he quickly busied himself with the couple's orders, Tom found himself wondering _why_ he had been thinking about that one girl. So many people came in here, each with a different story, and yet he rarely found himself dwelling on any of them once they left. What was it about her? That… Rose. Cause there _was_ something, he was sure of it.

Soon after, Tom almost forgot who Rose was, and started to doubt his own memories. Not long after that, Tom could barely remember the blond woman, who had been there just minuets before. She was just another customer to him, and God knows, he got enough of them in his pub.

It really took no time at all for the barman to forget Rose and her mysterious, deep, riveting eyes, and he was back to thinking about what he should be – his drinks.

Meanwhile, Rose Tyler was way off, walking down another road, on her way to… well, she still didn't know, anywhere the Doctor might be. Anywhere she might get another chance. A chance to say… _I'm sorry._

.o0o0o

"So, where we going?" Jamee asked, watching the Doctor fly around the TARDIS, eagerly pressing buttons and flicking switches that she knew she would never in a million years be able to remember exactly what they all did.

"Oh," he said, pulling down a leaver and spinning round to face Jamee with a flourish, "Just going to visit an old friend. I haven't seen him in a while and I was thinking about him the other day."

"_He_? Not a girl then?" Jamee teased as the Doctor returned to his TARDIS.

"No. _Not_ a girl." His face suddenly became very serious, "There's only one girl for me, as you very well know, and I can never go back for her… No matter how much I want to."

Jamee blushed slightly, she didn't think. Eager to make things right, she walked up to the Doctor, who was now standing limply beside the controls, and put her arms round him, whispering in his ear, "I can't go back either."

He seemed to find strength in that, and as the Doctor pulled away, Jamee knew she had done the right thing. He gave her a sad smile, before pressing on final button and sending Jamee and himself crashing against each other, and the walls of the TARDIS, and pretty much everything else in the room, as he steered the amazing machine to a halt.

"Right then," he stated, flashing Jamee his trademark grin as he grabbed his coat, "Shall we go?"

He offered her his arm, which she took straight away, and led her out the TARDIS, blinking, into a present day London.

.o0o0o

Rose knocked on the door, hoping against hope that she'd come to the right place.

Finally, a woman came to the door, looking slightly flustered, and making up an excuse in her head as to why exactly she couldn't talk to whoever had just knocked on her front door.

"Sarah-Jane Smith." Rose said, cracking into a warm smile at the sight of the Doctor's former companion and her old friend.

"Rose!?" she started, looking slightly confused. She quickly got over that, however, and pulled Rose Tyler into a warm, friendly hug, something that was greatly appreciated on both sides when it was returned happily.

"Come in! Come in!" Sarah-Jane beckoned, showing Rose up the stairs and into the attic room she and her son, Luke, had been standing in just moments before.

"Sorry about the mess," Sarah said, clearing a space on the sofa in her large attic room, "We were just in the middle of something. – Luke!"

"Sorry! Am I interrupting?" Rose asked, jumping up, worried about disturbing her old friend, "It's just that you told me to find you, if I needed you. And… well… I don't know what to do!" she declared, sinking onto the sofa and placing her head in her hands.

"Rose! Don't worry about it! It wasn't important!" Sarah-Jane insisted, "In fact, you can probably figure it out in a second flat! – Luke!"

Finally, a young boy of about 14 came walking into the room.

"Sorry mum, Mr Smith was just telling me that he has picked up some more signals, I was trying to decipher their meanings…" the boy said before noticing a young, blond woman sitting on his sofa.

"Alright, well, I'll have a look in a minuet. Thank you Luke." Sarah-Jane said, turning him to face Rose. "Now, Luke, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine. This is Rose Tyler. Rose, this is my son, Luke." Rose noticed the pride in Sarah's voice as she introduced the two people.

"Nice to meet you," Luke said, offering Rose his hand.

"And you Luke. I've heard great things about you!" Rose replied, taking his outstretched hand, and shaking it warmly.

Luke looked up at his mum, clearly wondering who this woman was that had heard so much of him. "Rose is a very old and dear friend of mine. I met her a short while before I met you," Sarah answered her sons unasked question.

Rose opened her mouth to ask about Luke, when Sarah-Jane interrupted again, "I'll explain later." Rose smiled and nodded, grateful to Sarah.

"Luke, how about making us all a nice cup of tea while I talk to Rose for a moment?" Sarah asked, clearly wanting some time alone with her guest.

"Sure. Rose?" He offered, understanding his mother easily.

"A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you. Just what I need right now," Rose smiled kindly, but there was still so much sorrow in her eyes, Luke was almost glad to take the excuse to leave the room.

_She has something to do with the Doctor, _Luke thought to himself, as he busied himself in making the tea, _I'm sure of it. Mum would let me talk to anyone else._

_I wonder what's wrong with her. The poor girl._ He was referring to her eyes, of course, tired eyes that had seen the universe, eyes that showed so much pain. He sometimes saw shadows of what was in Rose' in his own mum's eyes, but in Rose, the pains stood out much more, and he could tell she had wounds that still needed healing.

.o0o0o

Captain Jack Harkness was walking down the road. It had been a long day for him, but he had sorted it out. Nothing was too much for him and his team, they were the best! He was just on the way back to the Torchwood base to tell the rest of his team how the mission had gone, and he was planning to brag about his amazingness a bit, he admitted only to himself.

He turned the second to last corner when he heard it. Soft footfalls, quickly approaching. Without turning, Jack sped into a sprint, trying to get away from whoever, or _what_ever was chasing him.

In no time at all, a tall figure was standing right behind him, forcing him to slow, or crash into a wall. He felt a hot breath on the back of his neck, and closed his eyes as a dark, faintly familiar voice breathed into his ear, "Don't move."

Jack gulped, he could feel a gun being pressed into his back. Briefly, he considered shouting, but he knew he was too far away for his team to hear him.

"Don't say anything. Speak and I shoot." The voice whispered. For a moment, Jack considered running again, sure, this person could shoot, but Jack was immortal, he couldn't die. Nonetheless, dying and coming back wasn't an altogether particularly enjoyable experience, and Jack did his best to avoid it in most cases.

"Now, slowly, I want you to put your hands on the back of your head, and I want you to turn and face me." The gun was still tightly pressed against Jack's back, and he knew that he would have no time to get his own out, so he obeyed the harsh voice.

Ever so slowly, Jack turned to face his prosecutor, preparing himself for the worst.

Jack's face spread into a wide grin as he saw who had him pinned up against the wall, "Doctor!" he yelled, opening his arms and pulling his old friend into a tight hug.

"Jack Harkness!" the Doctor replied, hitting him on the back and returning the hug happily. "Scare you?" he teased, releasing himself from Jack's tight grip.

"Na! Knew it was you all along!" Jack lied, grinning stupidly.

"Yeah right! You were terrified!" the Doctor laughed, receiving a hollow look from Jack.

"Well, what d'you expect? You try having someone come up behind you with a gun pressed into your back…" Jack trailed off as he noticed what the Doctor was twirling in his hands.

"Oh, go on! Tell me how frightened you were to have my killer, sonic…_screwdriver_ pressed into your back! What did you think I was gunna do – change the molecular structure of your _shirt_?!" the Doctor couldn't help himself as his face cracked into a fit of laughter. He hadn't laughed this hard in… well… _ages_!

"If you're not expecting it, it feels like a gun." Jack insisted, "And anyway, the sonic screwdriver can do a lot more damage to me than mess with my shirt, as you well know!"

The Doctor would almost have been taken aback by that, if it hadn't been Jack, who at that moment was cracking up with him.

"So…" the Doctor started, when the laughter had died down a bit, "Fancy a trip?"

"Don't I always?" Jack replied, "Oh, and Doctor, I've got some things to tell you that you might be interested to know!"

But as much as the Doctor tried to get more out of him, Jack simply refused to tell him anything more on the matter, and instead let the Doctor lead him away to the much-missed TARDIS.

.o0o0o

"Oh, Rose!" Sarah-Jane declared, after hearing Rose's story.

Rose attempted a small, sad smile, "I know! I'm hopeless!" she joked, resting her head back in her hands.

"Of course you're not! You're just confused and young. Too young."

"Thanks, Sarah, but I'm not _that_ young anymore!" Sarah-Jane laughed, pulling Rose into a welcome hug.

Rose sniffed, blinking back tears, "Thanks for that. Now, what was it you were doing?" she tried to change the subject. It had been a pitiful attempt, but to her surprise, it actually seemed to work!

"Oh yeah! I forgot, come on, I'll show you." With that, Sarah-Jane pulled Rose to her feet, and showed her to the huge computer at the other end of the room.

"Whoa! That's some computer!" Rose breathed upon seeing the legendary Mr Smith.

"Yeah, that's Mr Smith. But look here," Sarah said, pointing to a small reading in the corner of the screen, "Someone want's to talk to us."

Rose frowned, peering at the readings that were rapidly flowing across the screen.

"Can you slow that down at all?" Rose asked, pointing to the symbols that were changing so very quickly.

Rose jumped as a voice issued from the computer, "Slowing readings now, Miss Tyler."

"How'd he know my name?!" Rose asked, curious about the computer that was obviously far too advanced to be human technology, "What is it?"

Rose listened intently as Sarah-Jane told her about Mr Smith, and what he was. She allowed her to go off-topic and learnt a bit about Sarah's _son_ as well. Rose was surprised and interested by Sarah's stories, and almost forgot why she was there in the first place… _Almost_.

"Readings slowed." Mr Smith's calm, robotic voice cut into Sarah-Jane's as she told Rose one of her many… _adventures_.

"Can you make anything of it?" Sarah asked, curious to know more.

Rose turned back to the screen and busied herself trying to figure out what the readings said. Once, the TARDIS would've translated it all easily, but not anymore.

Rose wasn't sure when the TARDIS had stopped translating for her, but it had, and Rose supposed that it must've stopped for Sarah-Jane as well, otherwise, she was sure she wouldn't need her help.

While Rose focused on the words and symbols of another planet, Sarah-Jane had a chance to have a proper look at her old friend, and the Doctor's old companion. Rose was older. Defiantly, but she still had a lot of youth about her.

At that moment, Luke came back into the room, carrying 3 cups of tea, which he set down on the coffee table before walking over to Sarah-Jane and Rose. He turned to whisper something to Sarah, which she answered with a small shake of her head. She was still watching Rose intently.

Luke turned to look at the stranger his mum seemed to know so well, and noticed, not for the first time, how sad she was. There was like an aurora around her, giving off…something. Something that even Luke's amazingly complex mind couldn't comprehend.

He suddenly recognised her! She had been there, in that room, with the Doctor and Sarah-Jane, at the end of the world! She had been standing next to the Doctor and looking at him with such love in her eyes. That was what Rose had been giving off. It wasn't love anymore, it was heartbreak. She wasn't with the Doctor now, but neither was Sarah-Jane. It suddenly dawned on Luke what was wrong with her. She had left the Doctor, and now she needed him back.

His mum had almost been like that when he had met her, but she never seemed to regret leaving the Doctor. She always seemed to be happy with where she was in life.

_Maybe Rose doesn't have anyone. Maybe she's alone_ and as soon as that thought crossed his mind, Luke knew it to be true. He was clever. Very clever.

"Ah!" Rose said, cutting into both Luke and Sarah-Jane's running thoughts, never to know that they had been about her.

"What?" Luke asked,

"What is it?" Sarah agreed, eager to know.

"Nothing." Rose shrugged, "There is some energy left from a race that was a few light years away from this planet a couple hundred years ago, and it is broadcasting to Earth. Seriously, it's nothing." Rose explained, "Nothing interesting or threatening, anyway."

_She almost sounds disappointed_ Luke thought. Little did he know that she almost was. A nice big alien threat would be just what she needed to take her mind off the Doctor and Toby and the huge mess she had somehow got herself into.

"Anyway," Rose said, changing the subject completely, "I've extended you're hospitality enough, I'd best be off."

"You don't have to be! Stay here for the night, just to get your head round things," Sarah-Jane offered, suddenly worried for her young friend, but unsure why.

"No, don't worry about it. I'll be fine. Thank you, Sarah-Jane Smith." Rose smiled, "And it was lovely to meet you Luke," she added, with an even warmer smile that only lasted a few seconds before it was replaced with an empty look.

After a while of Sarah trying to convince her to stay, and then trying to give her some money 'for the journey' – something which Rose graciously refused with a small 'I have money, Sarah. But thanks anyway' – Rose was standing in the doorway once again, ready to leave for… well, she still didn't know.

"Where will you go?" Sarah-Jane asked, unknowing that that very question was racing round Rose's head at that very moment.

"I dunno," Rose shrugged, "Anywhere. Maybe I'll come and see you again sometime,"

"That would be good. You're always welcome here, Rose!" Sarah interrupted, smiling slightly.

"Thanks…" Rose breathed. She gave Sarah a quick hug before turning, sighing heavily, and stating, "I'll see you."

With that, Rose walked down the drive and away from her old friend's house, pausing only to wave as she let herself out the front gate.

_Sarah is doing well for herself,_ Rose thought, happy that her friend had a good life, doing things she loved. Luke was wonderful, a really sweet boy, and Rose was happy for them. Pleased that Sarah could have a life that Rose never could. She knew, at that moment, that the life Sarah had would be one that she herself never could.

With that thought at the top of her head, Rose made her way down the street, on her way to the nearest bus stop. She was sure she had seen one somewhere around here…

.o0o0o

The Doctor stood in the middle of the TARDIS. He had just finished setting coordinates to nowhere. The TARDIS was simply floating in the void.

"So then, Jack, you said you wanted to tell me something." The Doctor said, getting straight to the point.

"Why did you come looking for me?" Jack asked, completely ignoring the Doctor's statement.

"Well…I…um…I…" the Doctor was a little taken aback at that, why _had_ he wanted to see Jack? "Well, I suppose cuz I haven't seen you in a while, and I was thinking about you the other day," he offered, a message clear in his eyes. _Leave it. Please._

At that moment Jamee walked into the room.

"I thought I heard your voice, Doctor. Find him?"

Jack and the Doctor ignored her, instead focusing on each other. Each daring the other to speak first.

Finally, Jack gave in.

"I'll tell you why. You were thinking about _her_, weren't you." It was a statement, not a question, yet still, the Doctor bowed his head in silent agreement. They all knew who _she_ was, even Jamee didn't need anyone to tell her. _She_ was Rose. The woman who haunted the Doctor, day and night. The woman he loved but left.

"Doctor, I know what happened. Don't ask me how, you wouldn't be happy, but I _know_. And I'll tell you something else, she still wants you!" he exclaimed, not able to hold the amazing news back any more.

Jack opened his arms, ready for the Doctor to embrace him with a hug at this fantastic opportunity, but he merely stood there, staring at the floor.

"She doesn't want me. Why would she want me? She has Toby now. She has a life," the Doctor spoke to the floor, not daring to look at Jack. Not able to see his laughing, joking face.

But Jack wasn't laughing. He wasn't joking.

"Doctor, Jack's telling the truth." Jamee whispered, seeing the honesty and pleading in Jacks eyes.

"Exactly! Doctor she wants _you_! Not some Toby!" he insisted, "Thanks…" he looked at Jamee, realising that he didn't know that name of the Doctor's latest companion.

"Jamee… Jamee Williams." She said, reaching out a hand, which was taken in both of Jack's and shaken firmly.

"Good to meet you, Jamee Jamee Williams!" he joked, pressing his lips to her tanned hands.

The Doctor gave Jamee a look. A strange look to anyone but her, but to Jamee it clearly said '_Williams?_' A look which she returned with another, saying '_yes Doctor, Williams. Yes, Doctor, I know damn well that my last name is Hash, but I was nearly, so nearly a Williams. Please, let me have this one!_' her silent, pleading eyes opened to show the Doctor what she was feeling, and he bowed his head slightly. '_What brought this on?_' he asked, slightly concerned for his companion. Jamee just shrugged '_been thinking about him a lot recently_'.

Jack watched this display with interest, quietly observing the Doctor with his latest companion.

She seemed nice. Friendly. She looked clever, and quite a match for the Doctor. He was suddenly reminded rather fondly of Donna. They were quite a lot alike in the way they looked at and regarded the Doctor, and he knew that Rose's heart would be safe as far as Jamee was concerned. Hmmm, Donna, he hadn't thought about her in years! She had been lovely, very quick witted. She had left, though, Jack knew she would. A human can't take the strain of a Time Lord brain. _The Doctor will have wiped her himself from her mind. Removed her memories._ Jack thought to himself, understanding the Doctor as well as ever. _Poor bloke, you would've thought…_ but Jack stopped himself, the Doctor wouldn't be happy with a normal life, and he defiantly would never settle down! It was a good job Rose wanted him so bad!

_She's good for him_, Jack decided, giving Jamee his approval, something which he nodded to the Doctor. _I just hope she doesn't get an annoying crush on me like Donna did!_

.o0o0o

"Single to the Powell Estate," Rose said, passing over some change in exchange for a small ticket that somewhat resembled a receipt.

Single. She knew she wouldn't be going back there any time soon. She needed to be on her own for a while, needed sometime to think things through by herself. And she knew that there was only place where her thoughts could truly sort themselves out.

She was going home.

.o0o0o

"So… You're sure?" a somewhat drunk Doctor asked for about the 10th time that evening.

"Yes, Doc, I'm sure. Rose has left him," Jack replied, swaying slightly under the influence of the 25 hyper vodkas he had previously drank.

"But how do you know?" Jamee asked from somewhere under the table. She had been forced to give up the hyper vodkas after about 3, when she suddenly felt her legs disappear from under her, she was now trying to keep up with the boys drunkenness with just a Vinta - a drink that is very similar to Earth vodka, but slightly stronger and with a slightly misty froth floating around the top of it, giving off a small mint fragrance.

"Well…um…actually, at this precise moment, I can't remember… I think one of my amazing colleagues may have told me after I expressed an interest when her name was mentioned in a meeting a few weeks back… but it could have been something completely different of course…" Jack slurred, his train of thought leaving him as a pleasant looking waitress walked past, her long, slender tail brushing Jack slightly as she bent over to clear the empty glasses.

"Jack…I love you… you know that right?" the Doctor mumbled, gripping Jack hard by the arm so he couldn't look at anyone else. The Doctor had drunk about 92 hyper vodkas in order to get into a state of drunkenness to match his human friend's.

"Yur… Course you do Doc!" Jack replied, flashing the Doctor a drunken equivalent of a dashing grin before dragging him off his feet and towards the dance floor.

"But Jack… I can't dance…" the Doctor insisted, trying to pull himself back to the table, where Jamee was slowly emerging, giggling at the sight of the two men.

"I seem to remember you were a very good dancer…something that you never let me forget in all the time I was with you…also something you liked showing off to Rose about…"

"Yer…well…I can't dance, cuz I'm drunk!" the Doctor tried, pushing Jack off him and walking back to the table.

Jack reluctantly followed, practically falling on top of Jamee, who had pulled herself off the ground to watch them dance, only to be rewarded by a rather large, drunken man nearly sitting on her heavy head.

The Doctor laughed, took another swig of alcohol – the name of which he wasn't sure, it being on someone else's table – and pulled a wasted Jamee to her feet, "Come on, got something to show you," he whispered in her ear.

"Hey Doc!" Jack shouted after his friends disappearing backs – he had only just noticed that they had left. The Doctor turned round to look at his old companion, as Jack continued, "Can I come?"

The Doctor obviously said yes, and Jack hurried to catch up.

"Drink this," the Doctor said, passing Jamee a bottle which she swigged from before passing to Jack, when they got outside, "You'll want to be sober when you see this."

Jack's face screwed up with distaste as he sampled the hot liquid, "God, Doctor, what _is_ that stuff?"

"Anti-alcohol." The Doctor replied, pulling on his coat, "It has a real name, but I'm still too drunk to remember it, and it probably won't come back to me for a few days now."

"Watch this…" The Doctor continued, turning to his current companion and whispering in her ear again.

The three of them stood in complete silence as they watched a huge, green moon/sun rise in the sky ahead of them.

"That there," the Doctor said, pointing, "That is Emagton. The moonsun of Baboo."

"The what of what?" Jamee asked, leaving Jack with his mouth open, about to say the very same thing.

"The moonsun – like an Earth moon, but with the power of a sun. Of Baboo, the planet we're standing on."

"Right…" Jack nodded, pretending that he knew that already. He was about to add in a 'duh' when the moonsun exploded, showering them with tiny, golden sparks.

"What was that?" Jack asked, looking around in awe.

"It died." The Doctor replied, simply. "It dies once every 100 years, and is reborn," he added, noticing the blank looks on his friends' faces.

"100 years…" Jamee breathed.

"That's not so long here," the Doctor explained, "Well… it is for you humans, but for the inhabitants of Baboo, 100 years is nothing." He went on to explain a little about the history of Baboo and its people;

"It's quite a quiet planet, very peaceful, like their gardens and appreciate attention to detail. But that's just during the day. At night the Baboos come alive. They make the best and strongest alcohol quite possibly in the entire universe! Their clubs and pubs are to die for, and creatures from all over the galaxy come for weekends. Nearly every race out there will touch this planet at some time in their lives, and it never disappoints. The people love to give, and to have a good time! That's what makes it so desirable…" The Doctor went on about the planet and it's extensive night life until Jamee cut in, asking if he ever brought Rose there.

"Once…" the Doctor said, staring up at the sky, where remains of the moonsun could still be seen against the dark sky, "We spent the day here, then stayed the night at a hotel. Rose drank 63 hyper vodkas, and I got wasted on about 105. It was a great night…" he trailed off, lost in his memories. He had been so proud of Rose that night. She had drunk so much alcohol, yet had still been up at about 7.00 in the mourning, ready to head off to the next adventure. She was built of strong stuff, that Rose Tyler, much stronger than any other human he had ever met. On more than one occasion, she was still running when he had almost passed out due to being too drunk to take any more.

_Oh Rose!_ He thought. He was doing that a lot recently, the Doctor realised – thinking of Rose – it seemed to be all that was filling his head.

"Ready to go?" he asked, softly, tugging at Jamee's hand. She nodded, and took Jack's in her other hand, allowing them both to be pulled back to the TARDIS.

.o0o0o

_I'm coming, Rose. Just hold on a little longer!_ The Doctor thought, pulling the door of the TARDIS closed behind him. And he was.


	5. The Hesitation

**another long chappy!**

**thanks to everyone who has reviewed! not too long to go now untill the end, i don't think...i'm still deciding lol**

**please review!**

* * *

"Right then…" the Doctor said, rushing around the TARDIS, brining her to life, "If I know Rose Tyler – which I do – then there's only one place she'll go now. All we've got to do, is get there first."

"Good thing we've got a time machine then, isn't it Doctor," Jack replied, receiving a mock scowl from the Time Lord and a faint giggle from Jamee – one which was quickly covered up with a fake coughing fit and a wink at Jack.

"So… where we going then?" Jamee asked, as the Doctor pulled back one final leaver,

"The Powell Estate…" the Doctor and Jack breathed at the same time.

.o0o0o

'Beep. Beep.'

'Beep. Beep'

'Beep. Beep'

_Oh just shut up!_

Rose looked down at her beeping phone to find a name flashing up at her, one which she really didn't want to talk to at the moment.

'_Mum Mob'_

Rose sighed dramatically and clicked 'ignore' on her keypad. She didn't really need an earful from her mum right then, she was much happier to dwell on her own thoughts…on her own.

'Beep. Beep'

'Beep. Beep'

'Beep. Beep'

_Oh what is it now?!_

Rose pulled her phone back out from her pocket and saw a name she wanted to talk to even less that day.

'_Hubby Mob'_

Once again, she clicked 'ignore'.

'Beep. Beep'

This time it was a text. Rose looked, and saw it was from Toby. Hesitantly, she clicked 'view' and wondered what he could possibly say to her now that he couldn't have said before she left.

Quickly, Rose let her eyes slide across the small screen of the mobile, reading her not-really-but-sorta ex-husband's text.

_Rose, _It said, _I don't know what's going through your head right now, but we can work it out. I know I should've said this ages back, but I was still trying to get my head round what happened between us. I know it's the Doctor, but we can beat him. You chose me once before, and I know I'm not as exciting as him, but maybe you could find it in your heart to chose me again. I know we can do this! All my love, my darling! Please come home! Your Toby.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

Rose sighed, he wanted her, and she had always known that, but she couldn't go back now, she just couldn't. And Toby was right, she had left because of the Doctor, she had chosen Toby a long time ago, and she couldn't do it again. She realised now. No matter how mixed up and confused she was, she did know one thing – she loved the Doctor, and she couldn't ever go back to Toby. Not ever.

Rose considered sending a reply, even if it was just to say sorry, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she satisfied herself with pressing her messed up head against the cool glass of the bus window, and trying to forget about all this. All this pain.

.o0o0o

"Look, will you just _wait_ for two minuets?" Jamee tried again, much to the Doctor's annoyance.

"_What?!_" he practically shouted, he didn't mean to be rude, it was just he was so desperate to see her again, that he really didn't _want _to wait any more. He wanted to go. He wanted to hold her in his arms once more and tell her it would all be okay. He wanted to whisk her away with him, and show her all if time and space. He wanted…he wanted…

Well, he certainly didn't want to _wait_. Jack had already persuaded him to wait till mourning on Baboo, because '_what will Rose think, if you turn up all drunk? She will probably walk straight back to her beloved Toby and never come looking for you again!_' and the Doctor had to admit, for a drunken idiot, Jack did make sense.

So he had allowed Jamee to pick out a room at a local hotel, even though he had wanted to go back to the TARDIS so he could be away even earlier then he was anyway.

When they had booked out of the hotel, the first of 12 suns of Baboo, that switched throughout the day at set times – the way they told the time there, could only just be seen edging over the horizon. Only the very tip was visible.

Jack and Jamee had not been very impressed when the Doctor had pulled them out of bed while the moonsun of the night could still be seen in the sky-like entity of the planet. Then again, they got their payback by the painfully slow way they got themselves dressed and ready for the new day.

By the time they were ready to head off, the Doctor had been pacing for about 3 earth hours. Too long, in his book, for anyone to get ready. –True, Rose had once kept him waiting for 4 hours, but at least when she had finally come out from the immense wardrobe of the TARDIS, he had to rub his eyes for around 10 minuets, just to check he wasn't dreaming – _that's_ how good she'd looked.

He supposed that her excuse for taking so long also hadn't been '_I'm hung over, Doctor, what d'you expect?!_' not a clever thing to say to someone who was immune to hangovers, but had had companions in much worse states then Jamee had been in who only took 1 hour to get dressed. Also, the fact that Jack had been ready an hour earlier than her, despite getting much more drunk, didn't help much. Two facts he had readily told her, causing her to go even _more_ slowly – if that were possible. Leaving Jack and the Doctor drumming their fingers for even longer.

It was only when the Doctor started threatening to leave her behind if she didn't hurry up, that Jamee made her grand appearance, looking much the same as she always did. He didn't voice this thought, however, being sure to receive a slap if he dared – he could see it in her blood-shot eyes.

All this considered, the Doctor was slightly on edge when he finally landed the TARDIS behind a large tip in a corner of the Powell Estate and was then told to _wait_!

.o0o0o

Rose stepped off the bus, after what felt like forever, and blinked furiously at the lights coming from every corner of the street.

Keeping her head low, Rose began her walk to the place she had called home for so long. She didn't really know what she expected to find there, but it was where it had all started for her, and it was the only place she really wanted to be. There and back in The TARDIS, of course.

'Beep. Beep'

Rose quickly read the text from Toby. He wasn't her husband, not anymore. She had given him her ring back, and she knew she would never return to collect it.

She had received 3 messages from him on the journey, all saying roughly the same thing;

'_I miss you. Please come home!_'

Again, however, she ignored the words on the screen. She didn't need him anymore, that much was certain.

Looking round, her eyes came to rest on a small bin, tucked next to some random shop. The words '_Save Our Planet! Recycle!_' adorned the side.

_A funny message to leave on a bin, _Rose thought to herself, heading over to it. She lifted the old lid, and hesitated.

_Is this really what I want?_ She wondered. Then she thought again, with outstanding resolution, _Yes!_ And in that moment, she slipped her hand into the bin and dropped her expensive, new phone that Toby had brought her not long ago, inside.

_No going back now!_ She thought, and smiled. This was what she wanted. A new life was calling, and she was going to answer that call. His call.

She would get a second chance if it killed her.

.o0o0o

"What?" the Doctor repeated, "What now?"

"I just think you should wait," Jamee replied, trying with all her might to speak calmly and pretend that the look the Doctor was giving her was not, in fact, terrifying her.

"Why?" he breathed, not sure whether or not she was joking. If she was then it really wasn't a very funny joke.

"I…I…" she stumbled, tripping over her own words as she tried to explain the worried simmering in the pit of her stomach. Why _did_ she want to wait? She wanted the Doctor to be with his Rose, she wanted him to be happy again – like she was sure he once was, but something was telling her to hold back, just for a moment.

"Maybe you should think about this first, Doc. You don't want to get hurt again…" Jack interrupted, winking at Jamee. Just a small wink, mind you, didn't want her to get the wring idea. Jamee looked so grateful at Jack's careful reasoning, he almost found himself unbothered by what he was sure was about to come from the Doctor. Almost, but not quite.

"She won't hurt me… She wouldn't…" the Doctor's voice was surprisingly quiet, and Jack realised he may have gone too far. Truthfully, he didn't think Rose would ever do anything to hurt the Doctor, but the look on his face told Jack that she may have done just that. Whether she had meant it to hurt him or not was irrelevant, she had. After all, she wasn't there now, and that must've hurt the Doctor in itself. Jack didn't know the whole story, but he realised now that what brought Rose out of the skies and down to Earth – _with a husband!!_ – must've been much more complicated than Jack had first thought.

"She hurt you once before," Jamee said softly, as if she wasn't sure she should be saying this at all, "Remember?"

"But…not this time… she wants _me_ this time," he argued, more with himself than Jamee, Jack began to realise, "You said so yourself, Jack," the Doctor suddenly said, his focus on the immortal human in front of him, hope back in his eyes, "You said… you said she left him…" the Doctor stopped, finding the words to hard to keep up, instead he just looked at Jack, pleading with him not to disagree.

"Yes…but…"

"Please…" the Doctor interrupted. He needed this, he needed her. Rose Tyler. The only one who could help him now.

"Yeah, she wants you, Doc," Jack said, grinning despite himself as the Doctor threw himself on him. Jack was almost positive that, had he not been immortal, the mere force of the Doctor's hug would've killed him there and then. Thankfully, Jack _was_ immortal, and therefore, the Doctor did not kill him.

Jamee looked on as the two men embraced. She thought it strange, once, she had found two men hugging looked a little gay, but when it was the Doctor and Jack, it didn't look so weird. Actually, it looked fine.

She wasn't sure whether to be happy or sad about the news. It was absolutely fantastic that Rose was out there, supposedly looking for the Doctor, but imagine she wasn't there. What if Jack had got his facts wrong and Rose was happy with Toby? What then? How far would Rose be able to push him before even Jamee couldn't get him out of his pit of despair.

She had worried, for a moment, that she had lost him when Rose had told him she was going to stay with Toby. And to this day, she didn't quite think he was over that. She knew he still had nightmares about that day, and Jamee knew she wouldn't be around forever to help him.

If what Jack said was true, then that would be brilliant! The Doctor never did get used to living without Rose, and Jamee still caught him mouthing her name to himself when he thought she wasn't watching. If she really was coming back, then nothing but good could happen after that. The Doctor would be fixed, and happy. Jamee had only known him truly happy for a very short amount of time, and every day she wished she could see him smile like that, just once more.

When Jack had said that Rose wanted to come back, that was the closest Jamee had seen to a proper, Doctorish smile in a far-too-long time and he defiantly deserved to have reason to smile like that.

Jamee's only fear was that she wasn't there. If the Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS to find Rose wasn't there, or worse, there but with Toby and their 3 kids, Jamee was worried she would loose the man she trusted with her life.

She was sure Jack could see it too. She could tell, by the reluctance he held before reassuring the Doctor that Rose really _was_ looking for him.

As the three of them stepped out of the TARDIS, after the Doctor had reassured Jamee that '_yes, I am sure about this._' And '_yes, I will be okay if she's not there._' And '_no, I will not wait a moment._' And '_yes. I mean it. Now let me out of this machine so I can have a look and see if she's there yet!_' and a whole load of other things that Jamee randomly came up with to stall the Doctor. She really just didn't want him to be too disappointed if she wasn't there. Eventually, Jack had stepped in with '_Jamee, the Doctor's a big man, I'm sure he'll be alright._'

So there they were, standing outside a blue box, blinking in the bright sunlight. The Doctor noticed a newspaper blowing in the wind. Running, he caught up with it before it flew too far away, and swept it expertly out of the air.

Shaking the paper open, the Doctor quickly scanned the top of the first page before declaring, "Saturday! I always liked Saturdays!"

.o0o0o

Rose took in a sharp breath as a very familiar sight came into view.

This was a place Rose Tyler had never expected to go back to again, but she knew, if she wanted to find the Doctor, that there was one thing she had to do first.

She clenched her fists as she began to make her way down the busy street towards one building. The place where it had all started.

She stared blankly at the remains of Henrik's, the old shop she had once spent every day of her life. This was the first place he had ever told her to run, and the place where it all started.

There had been some attempt at re-building the shop, but no-one appeared to be very motivated to restore the old department store. Scaffolding clinged to the frame of the building, and bricks – along with other things – lay scattered and forgotten by the base.

To Rose, the place looked near perfect. If only it wasn't for the frail attempts at re-building, Henrik's looked almost the same as it had been the last time she was here, and that was a very long time. Once she had travelled with the Doctor, she had found herself wanting to return to the life she had before less and less. But now she was back.

Slowly, she walked across the road, towards the abandoned building.

"Bet you never thought you'd see me again, huh!" Rose whispered, as she arrived at the base of the once-large shop. _I'm talking to rubble, _she realised as soon as the words were out her mouth.

Rose took one last, lingering look at the shop which she had once worked in, and was sure wouldn't last much longer before it was knocked down completely to make way for something else… maybe a car park or something.

She couldn't stop here. She had a little way to go yet.

A bus pulled up at a stop near her. Rose knew it was going the same way she was, but something made her want to walk.

_Anyone can get the bus, _she thought to herself, as she walked past it and it pulled away from the curb, _but who would choose to walk?_ And with that thought firmly in her head, she continued making her way.

_I'll find you. My Doctor. I'll find you if it kills me!_

.o0o0o

"Rose…" the Doctor whispered, pushing the unlocked door of her old apartment open. Something was wrong, so very wrong.

"Jack!" he hissed, unwilling to draw attention to himself. Jack rushed up the stares, taking them two at a time, with Jamee close at his heals.

Jack opened his mouth to ask, but the Doctor motioned for him to quiet. At that moment, there was a loud clattering as something fell to the floor and smashed. This was followed by several voices and a loud, booming laughter coming from the Tyler's lounge.

The Doctor motioned for Jamee to wait, and then edged himself into the house, Jack following just behind. They crept into the house until they had a good view of the boys that had broken into Rose and Jackie's old home.

The Doctor waved his hand by Jack, and they both mentally counted to three, in perfect time with each other. Even after all this time, Jack could read the Doctor like a book, and his commands made perfect sense in his mind. Likewise, the Doctor got Jack brilliantly.

As they both reached three, Jack shouted "Go!" and they jumped out, round the corner, startling the boys.

The Doctor stood there, brandishing his trusty sonic-screwdriver, clad in his pin-stripe suit, the only thing that was particularly threatening about this man was the expression on his face.

Next to him, was the slightly shorter Jack, not holding a sonic probe, instead opting for a small pistol he had found in his pocket.

"Get out." The Doctor warned, waving the screwdriver towards the door. Needless to say, the kids didn't need telling twice, and instantly all made a beeline for the door.

"Wait!" Jack ordered, causing the Doctor to look at him, slightly confused. But he trusted Jack, in some weird, messed up way, and he knew that he would have a plan, "Before you go, you are going to put back all that stuff you nicked – oh, don't look so innocent! That doesn't work on me – and then you are going to clear up all this mess you have made," Jack grinned at the Doctor briefly, before turning his attention back to the boys, none of whom had made any sort of move towards any of the instructions Jack had just given, "NOW!" he shouted, kick-starting them all into action.

"Nice one Jack!" the Doctor murmured as soon as the kids were out of earshot.

.o0o0o

Jamee paced the corridor outside of the flat she took to be Rose's old one. Of course, she didn't know, but she had a pretty strong feeling this was the one.

She turned back to the door for what felt like the millionth time, about to ignore the Doctor's orders and simply walk straight through to join them, when she decided against it at the last minuet, like she knew she would.

It was all fine and good to go in, but they had just left her outside. Anything could happen! To any of them! Jamee didn't want to waste time speculating on all the unpleasant things that could happen to her in this part of London, but she still couldn't quite get her mind off the thoughts completely.

"NOW!" Jack's strong, commanding voice broke through Jamee's twisted thoughts. At least Jack was alright. Alright enough to shout, anyway.

A short while after Jack's shout, a large group of young men came rushing out of the door. Jamee backed up against the wall, but the boys didn't notice her, they were too busy running away, and shooting frightened glances over their shoulders at the door.

She wasn't sure what scared her, but something made her feel really uneasy about being in a counsel estate.

_Come on, Jamee! _She thought to herself, _you've fought _aliens_ for god's sake! What can a bunch of teenagers do to you?!_ Yet still she didn't like it. She had never liked places like these, even when she was a little girl.

Jack came out of the apartment then, walking slowly and looking rather pleased for himself.

"You coming in?" he asked, offering her his arm. She took it quickly and allowed him to lead her into Rose's old flat, closing the door carefully behind her.

.o0o0o

She just sat there. Ignoring the strange looks she was getting from people in the street. Someone tried to talk to her, but she never listened. Never moved. She merely sat there.

Slowly, she got up, still ignoring everyone else. Anyone who looked at her then would see a young, broken girl with eyes that reflected years she should never have had.

She picked up her backpack, stuffed with as many clothes as she could fit into such a tiny space. So much had happened, she had lived a life of luxury with a man who loved her. But not any more. She had left. And none of it mattered any more.

She slipped her hand into her pocket and brought out a small, golden, heart-shaped locket. With shaking hands, Rose opened the locket Toby had given her for her 21st birthday.

She allowed the tears to escape her damp eyes as she looked at the two pictures adorning the inside of the locket. Again, she didn't care what passers-bys thought of her at that moment, all she could see were the pictures. Pictures of some of the best days of her life.

The first picture was her and Toby on their wedding day. Rose was wearing a beautiful, incredible, white dress. Lightly sprinkled with a glitter that shimmered a pale pink when she moved. Toby looked gorgeous too, really sexy with his dark hair and black jacket on a crisp, white shirt. They looked brilliant together, their smiles lighting up the whole space. It had been a really good day for the weather too, an amazing sun, but it wasn't too hot. That evening they had danced all night, lost in each other. He had given her his jacket when they had gone outside to watch the sunset. Reds and yellows and pinks had filled the sky and Toby had held her in his arms, whispering that the sun's beauty was nothing compared to her.

The second picture was in no way even nearly as perfect as the first, and that day had been nothing special either. Rose was standing next to the Doctor, both were caked in mud, the Doctor had a slightly back eye and Rose's lip was bleeding slightly. But what made the picture so wonderful was their smiles. Young, free smiles that made you forget the mud, forget the blood, forget that the picture was old and frayed from the amount of times Rose had got it out to look at it before finally putting it in the locket next to her and Toby. They were standing outside the TARDIS, the Doctor had his arm around her, and hers was around him. It was the only picture Rose had of the two of them, it was the only time she had persuaded the Doctor to stand still long enough to have one taken. Jack had been with them that day, and it was him who had taken the picture. Of course, he had demanded that they take another straight after with him in it, but the one Rose was looking at now, that was the first, the most special.

Rose sighed deeply, not moving to wipe the tears away from her eyes as she gazed down at the pictures. The one with Toby, that was meant to be the best day of her life, but the other, with mud in her hair and a green sky behind her, her smile was 10times bigger and better than the other picture.

Rose smiled sadly, she knew she had made the right decision in leaving Toby. She loved him, of course she did, but he was no Doctor. The Doctor was the only one who had ever made her smile like that, and Rose knew, at that moment, that she would never be happy until she smiled once more. Until she _truly_ smiled.

So she shouldered her small bag and walked on. Always moving on. Never looking back. But just this once, going back may just be the only way she can move on.

.o0o0o

He heard her before the others. The gentle sound of her feet against the cool metal of the fire-hatch. Somehow, he had known she would go that way – take the difficult path. It would almost be her way of showing herself she was ready. Giving herself time, even now, to change her mind.

The Doctor stood up, allowing Jamee and Jack time to get to their feet after him. Jack heard her next, but he only listened because the Doctor had moved.

Jamee was about to say something, that was obvious, but she didn't get a chance before the two men quickly shushed her, and made their way to the window. She realised what was happening a mere moment later when she heard it. The footfalls coming.

Jamee was slightly confused to find the sound was not coming from the corridor of the flats, instead it was coming from the fire escape.

Jamee and Jack looked up from their view of the outside of the building at the sound of the Doctor leaving the room. Jamee went to follow him, but felt Jack's strong hand against her arm, holding her back,

"Let him do this," Jack whispered softly, removing his hand when he felt her relax under his grip. Slowly, he lead her back to the sofa and sat her down. Then he looked towards the door the Doctor had just walked out of, hoping against hope that it _was_ Rose. Hoping she was coming back.

.o0o0o

Rose stopped just short of her old window.

_You don't have to do this, you can still go back,_ a voice at the back of her head told her, _Toby will forgive you if you explain. But if you go inside, there will be no going back. Not now, not ever._

_I have to do this._ Rose thought, silencing the voice. She knew what she was doing was right. She could go back, yes, but what would be waiting for her? A life she no longer wanted to live, that's what.

So Rose didn't turn round. Didn't go back. She stepped forward, seeing the room she had grown up in through the window she had looked out of for years, always dreaming of a way out, even if she hadn't realised that was what she was dreaming of at the time.

She placed a surprisingly warm hand onto the cool glass, relishing the feel of it against her fingers. This was the closest she had got to feeling at home in a long time, and the scary thing was, she had never noticed how empty she was until now. She had thought she was happy before she had met the Doctor, only to find she never really had been, and then, when she had been with Toby, she had thought that her old life was nothing compared to him. But she had been wrong.

Nothing was living. Nothing. Not unless the Doctor was living it with her. She knew that now, no matter how happy she thought she was. No matter how _alive_, she was always dead inside. Dead without him.

Numbly, Rose clicked the window open, something she had been able to do from the outside, with or without a key, since she was 9 – when she had slipped outside to think, and suddenly found the window had closed. The window had an automatic lock, and so when it had closed it had locked Rose out. Too embarrassed to go round and ring for her mum to come and open the front door for her, Rose had instead worked out a very easy method of opening the window from the outside. Something that had come in very handy during her rebellious teenage years.

After opening the window, the rest was easy. Slip her old bag through, one leg up, other leg up, pull. Legs through gap, lean back, slip through gap.

Rose was pleased to find that she could still fit through the narrow gap between window and sill, despite the years older she was than when she last did that.

Eventually, she was completely through and she bent to pick up her bag. She was quite impressed to find it had fallen by her bed when she had thrown it, which was a fair way from the now-open window.

Suddenly, as she was bent right over with her back to the door, Rose found herself feeling horribly like she was being watched.

A suspicion that was confirmed when a soft voice coming from her old-bedroom door whispered her name.

Her entire body tensed. How could she not notice someone was there. And who were they? And how did they know her name? And what did they want with her?

All these thoughts rushed around her head as the man standing in the doorway slowly made his way into the room.

_If he comes any closer, I can hit him and make a run for it. _Rose thought, her back still turned.

"Rose…" he whispered again. He was so close to her now, she could practically feel his breath on her neck as she readied herself to run.

_Hang on… _Rose thought, and she whipped around, staring into a face she thought she would never see again.

"It's you…" she whispered, falling into him.

The Doctor nodded against her shaking body, rubbing her back gently. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he felt her grip around him tighten, and he pulled her closer to him in return.

He could feel her tears, damping the shoulder of his suit and burning him like fire. But he didn't care. She was back. Jack had been right. She was back. She was back…


	6. The Forgiveness

**ah! so sorry about the wait!! i've had this ready for uploading for ages now, it's just taken me ages to get it on FF! not only that, but this chapter took me a while to write, thanks to that stupid writters block! - arg! how i hate that!**

**wow! last chapter! i didn't actually realise that until i was about half way through writing it, so you can't really blame me for the lack of warning lol! anyway, i really hope you've enjoyed this story and thank you so much for all your brilliant reviews!**

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The Doctor finally managed to detangle himself from the tired woman he had never thought he would be able to see again, and held her at arms length. She was still sobbing quietly, but she looked at him with such honest eyes he just wanted to burry himself in her again, never to look at anyone else ever again.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry…" she whispered, allowing him to pull her into a tight embrace again.

He stroked her hair gently, reassuring her that it was alright, it wasn't her fault. Eventually her arguments succumbed, and she stood still in his grip, breathing in his familiar sent. Gingerly, she brought up her arms and wrapped herself even tighter to the Doctor's skinny form.

She didn't know if she should even _be_ there, but at that moment, she didn't care. All she wanted to do was stand there, in the one man she had ever, truly, loved's arms and loose herself in the aching familiarness of everything he was, is, ever will be.

When they next prised themselves from each others arms, Rose didn't say anything. She just let the Doctor steer her into her old living room, his arm draped protectively around her.

He had debated about this, taking her in to meet the others – part of him just wanted to wrap her up safe and take her away from here in the TARDIS, never to let her out again, but he knew that would be unfair. She knew Jack and Jamee, and they would both want to see her. He was being selfish to even consider leaving.

The Doctor and Rose walked into the lounge, to be instantly greeted by a sigh of relief and 1,000 questions. While the Doctor battled the two concerned friends away, Rose just went to the sofa and sat, silent. The Doctor noticed her attitude to the whole affair, and wondered what could have happened to put her in such a shell.

It didn't take long for the Doctor to shut the other two up, and to plonk himself onto the sofa next to Rose, his hand carefully finding hers resting in her lap.

His grip was hesitant, Rose thought, like he wasn't sure if it should be there. She gave it a reassuring squeeze, after all, if anyone shouldn't be there, it was her. She had betrayed him, she didn't deserve his hand in hers – no matter how much she longed for his touch.

Rose looked around her. Jack _and_ Jamee, she wondered what had happened to bring these two together. She couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the thought of the three of them, in the TARDIS, without her. She quickly discarded these thoughts, however, as she realised she had no right to have them. She had no right to even be there, with the loyal companions, holding the Doctors hand and feeling for the world like if he let go she would die.

"Rose… you alright?" Jack asked, when the silence became to much for him.

Rose nodded and whispered a tired and strangled "Yeah…" before turning to the Doctor and saying, "I'm sorry. Please believe me. All of these years, and I never stopped thinking about you. Not once. That's why I left. I finally realised that no matter how much Toby loved me… no matter how much I loved him… it would never mean anything…compared with you…oh my god! Please forgive me! I'm so sorry!" Rose put her head in her hands as the tears overcame her.

The Doctor watched Rose carefully all through her speech, and when she began to cry, he quickly moved his arm so it was wrapped tightly around her. His hand gently rubbing her side as he whispered, "Of course I forgive you… can you forgive me?"

Rose looked up at him, sorrow, apology and a little confusion in her eyes, "What have I got to forgive you for? You've done nothing…"

"Yes. Exactly. I did nothing. I should've fought for you, should've held you close and not let you go. You were right when you left me, I should've told you not to, shouldn't have let you leave. I haven't been the same without you, Rose. And I have to forgive you for leaving because I could've stopped you. But I didn't. I lost myself when I lost you, and I know that it was all my fault…"

Rose buried herself in his chest, shouting at him inside her head, but only whispering the words out loud, "It wasn't your fault, I chose to leave… it was my fault… I should've known… I should've…"

Jamee and Jack looked at each other. As wonderful as it was too see the two back together, Jamee still couldn't shake off the feeling that Rose would hurt him again, and next time, Jamee knew she may not be able to help him after that happened.

.o0o0o

A while later, they left the flat. All four of them. Jack was carrying Rose's bag, despite her complaints that he didn't need to and that she could carry it. Jamee was walking next to Jack, she hadn't spoken since Rose had arrived, and for all she loved Rose like a sister, she still wasn't certain about everything that had happened and thought they were leaving a little to early. Rose was behind Jack, still occasionally begging for the Doctor's forgiveness, but mostly glowing at the prospect of returning to the TARDIS, the one place she belonged. The Doctor was holding Rose's hand like it was the most important thing in the universe, declining Rose's apologies every time she offered them, yet still giving her the forgiveness he didn't think she needed.

"Why such a small bag?" Jamee had asked Rose when she saw it,

"It was the bag I used to use when I travelled with the Doctor the first time," Rose had explained, briefly. She didn't think anyone would ever understand what made that bag so special to her, but she supposed it was the first thing she had thought of when she had first decided that she would never, _never_ leave the Doctor. She remembered throwing it to him, in his previous regeneration and stating '_now, you're stuck with me_'. Something she had continued to say for most of their time together.

When they reached the TARDIS, Jack was the first to get there, so he was the one to slip his key into the lock and open the door. Rose felt another pang of jealousy when she saw the key that they all obviously all had, but then she realised that Jack's was probably the same one as he had been given when she and the Doctor had first met him – much like the key she carried in her pocket was the same one as she was given all that time ago in London - when aliens had been just crash-landed into the Themes and knocked Big Ben on their way down - she had just never given it back. True, she had been planning to that day on the beach, when she said goodbye for what she thought would be the last time, but he had left before she could give it back, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

She realised now, that by the Doctor not taking the key back, it was almost like a way she could come back. Almost a promise that someday they could be together again, should she wish it.

Rose followed Jamee into the TARDIS, memories and hope rushing at her all at once as the familiar sensation of the bigger-on-the-inside-ness returned to her, and she felt more at home then she ever had in her life! There was nothing like the TARDIS, and Rose would never want there to be. This was where she belonged, not with some Toby, but with the Doctor, in the TARDIS, saving people's lives.

Jack handed Rose her bag, and, with a little reassurance that it was okay from the Doctor, Rose made her way to her old room to dump it, leaving the Doctor and his companions to talk…about her.

.o0o0o

Rose walked back into her old room and dumped her bag on the bed before moving to the mirror hanging over the large dressing table. The room was exactly as she remembered it, not unlived in, but not used either while she had been away. It smelt fresh in there, and clean, almost as though the TARDIS had made a conscious effort to make the room nice for her.

Rose felt her heart leap at that thought. The TARDIS, the most magnificent machine in all of time and space was happy she was back! And this wasn't Rose being vain, there was just something about the TARIDS that seemed happy. It made Rose wonder what the hell had made her leave in the first place!

When she had finished examining her room and en-suit, she left her bag lying on the bed, plans to empty it later swirling in her head. She had done it. She was home.

Rose walked down the empty corridor, wondering which room the Doctor and the others would be in. The TARDIS usually changed the rooms behind each door for her, but today she seemed to be leading Rose away from everyone else.

"Stop playing games!" she muttered under her breath. All she wanted to do was to find the Doctor and loose herself in one of his hugs again. She had gone far too long without one.

She suddenly felt the strange, and very rare on the TARIDS, sensation that the rooms weren't changing any more. She was on her own. The TARIDS was a big ship, and Rose was a small person, she didn't much like the idea of getting lost, but she had to go somewhere, so she kept moving towards a random direction. She didn't know why, but the TARDIS wasn't going to help her find her way anywhere, and Rose could tell. She would have to find the Doctor by herself. But she wasn't worried, she'd found him before, after all, she was sure she'd find him.

.o0o0o

After what felt like a very long time roaming the corridors of the TARDIS, Rose eventually cam across a door she recognised, and could hear the faint babble of voices from a room a short way down the corridor in the same direction as she was heading.

Rose was about to carry on towards the voices, but she stopped short at a door. The kitchen.

Pushing open the door, Rose murmured to the ship, "You thought you had me there!" and then she grinned as she boiled the kettle, unaware of the argument a few doors down, and the reason the TARDIS had tried to loose her.

As she absentmindedly stirred her tea, Rose caught snippets of the conversation.

"No. Absolutely not. Just…no." the Doctor sounded agitated, Rose thought, and she strained to hear more of what was being said.

"I just think…" but the TARDIS made a loud clink and whatever it was that Jamee thought would never be known to Rose.

"And what about you, Jack? What do you think?" the Doctor's voice came through desperate, _like he's pleading with them,_ Rose thought. The TARDIS made another crashing nose and Rose never learnt what Jack thought,

"Now stop that!" Rose whispered, trying to catch more of the conversation. The TARDIS hummed slightly, "No! I'm not being nosy! I just want to know what they're saying to the Doctor, he sounds upset…" she argued with the time machine, who began humming again, "Because I don't know what they're talking about, and it might be awkward if I just go blundering in!" another hum, "It just might be!" the TARDIS didn't press the point then, instead turning her concentration to the same thing as Rose's.

"I just… don't want you getting hurt again…" Jamee whispered and Rose frowned, why would the Doctor get hurt? What were they talking about?

Rose made a decision in a second, picked up her cup of tea, and headed for the door. If she couldn't hear them from the kitchen, she would simply have to get closer.

The room they were in wasn't far from the kitchen, and it didn't take Rose long to get there. The conversation had died down a bit now, and Rose was about to go straight in when Jack said something very quietly, _so unlike him_, Rose thought, her hand hovering just above the doorknob.

The Doctor replied with such a loud and sturdy 'no!' it almost scared Rose, and she wondered what Jack had said to cause such a response.

Jamee muttered something else, inaudible, but her voice got stronger, until Rose could hear exactly what she was saying.

"Are you being a bit hasty, letting her come back so quick? Wouldn't it be better to just promise her a while, so you can get used to being together, and be sure she's not going to leave you again, before you promise her forever?!"

Rose was a little take aback by that, she really hadn't expected any of them to say that sort of thing. She moved her ear slightly closer to the door.

"Look, Doctor, we all know that Rose loves you, and would never _mean_ to hurt you, but she did once before, didn't she? And who's to say she won't again… whether she means to or not is beside the point…"

Rose closed her eyes, she couldn't do this. The Doctor didn't reply to Jack's whispered words, _Come on, Doctor! Say something! Please…_ Rose silently begged. She needed to know what he thought about this whole thing, or she might as well leave then and there. Although she didn't know what she would do or where she would go if he agreed with their so-called-friends, she supposed she might go back to Sarah-Jane. But could she really do that? Could she really burden her friend with herself because Jamee and Jack thought she would hurt him?

Still the Doctor didn't speak.

"Doctor?" Jack asked. He was close to the door. Close enough to hear Rose if she said a word. The TARDIS buzzed in her ears, telling her to move away, she's heard enough, but Rose merely shushed the machine and waved her arm in the air behind her, silencing the amazing creation.

The Doctor said something that was too quiet for Rose to hear, Jamee obviously thought so too, because she asked the Doctor to repeat it.

"I… I can't… I…" he murmured, and Rose decided she'd heard enough. Turning, she ran back down the corridor in the direction she came from, the TARDIS quickly changing the rooms so Rose didn't have far to go before she reached her room and fell down on the bed, sobbing hysterically.

.o0o0o

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do," Jack offered, walking away from his place by the door to comfort his old friend.

"But you don't understand…" the Doctor said, rubbing his face with his hands, "I _love_ her, Jack. I need her with me. I don't care if she hurts me a thousand times, it's worth it to have just one day with her… and I can't do it without her anymore… I just can't…" he finished, realising that he had never actually said those words out loud before, and it felt good.

Jamee was looking at him open-mouthed, and Jack was grinning like he'd known it all along – which, of course, he had – but the Doctor didn't care. He had just admitted he loved Rose Tyler, and he wouldn't have it any other way!

"Well, let's go tell her then!" Jack shouted, his bubbly self once again, and with that he grabbed the Doctors arm and pulled him out of the library they had been talking in, and towards Rose's room. Jamee following behind, realising too late that something was very wrong… very, very wrong…

.o0o0o

They only paused at Rose's bedroom door for a second, giving the Doctor just enough time to knock twice, before he was pushed inside, accompanied by Jack's booming voice shouting, "Rose! The Doctor's got something to tell you!"

The Doctor gave Jack a playful shove in the ribs before turning to face Rose, "Rose I…" he began, but stopped when he saw that Rose wasn't there.

"Maybe she's in the kitchen, you know how she loves tea!" Jack suggested, heading for the door and tactfully ignoring Jamee's slowly shaking head and serious, sorry expression.

The Doctor didn't notice any of this, however, all he noticed was the small piece of paper folded in half on her neatly made bed. He walked over to it, ignoring the other two completely, and sat down on the bed heavily as he reached to take the note.

He briefly noticed his name scribbled in Rose's rough, slanted handwriting, before he had unfolded the note and read the 7 words he was displayed with.

"What's that?" Jack asked, bouncing over to the Doctor. Seeing his friends expression, Jack's own clouded over and he gently prised the note from his friends fingers.

He frowned as he too read the words, before passing the note to Jamee, who quickly scanned the page.

The Doctor just sat there in shock. He was numbly aware of Jack's hand on his arm, and Jamee hugging him from behind, but he didn't care anymore. She was gone.

He held up the only thing Rose had left apart from the note to the light, examining it carefully. A small, silver key on a chain and a note, and Rose Tyler was gone, with no other proof she had ever been there in the first place.

"I've lost her… again…" the Doctor whispered, "I can't do it on my own…" he turned to Jamee, his eyes pleading with her.

"Okay…" she nodded, "Let's go get her!"

The three of them stood up, and rushed out of the room, the key still clutched tightly in the Doctor's hand. Just a shred of evidence to keep him believing that she actually _had_ been there.

The note lay forgotten on the bed. The paper it was written on was thin where Rose's eyes had still been damp when she had wrote it, and the words shone brightly in the light. Just 7 words.

_I'm sorry. I won't hurt you again._

.o0o0o

Rose ran. She couldn't remember running like this for years! Her legs killed and her lungs were screaming at her to stop, but she couldn't. She kept running. Because if she stopped, then he would find her. He would take her back. She couldn't do that to him. She didn't want to hurt him.

And it was killing her. Every step away from him, away from the TARDIS, was a step away from a chance to live again. Yet still she ran. Nothing could stop her now. Not even the Doctor. Not Jack and not Jamee. No-one.

She had nowhere to go, nowhere to stay, no direction to be running in. So she just kept going forward. Just like he had taught her. Never looking back, just going wherever her feet were pointing. It didn't matter any more. Nothing did.

Rounding a corner at random, on a complete whim, Rose found herself face-to-face with the very box she had been running from.

"Damn…" she breathed, grinding to a halt at the entrance to the alley. She doubled over briefly, trying to catch her breath, but stood up after only a second as she heard the TARDIS door creak open.

_I could still run for it…_ she thought, but discarded that idea. The Doctor wanted to talk, he could've let her run away, but he had followed her, the least she could do was hear him out… especially after all she put him through.

"Rose!" he shouted, running towards her. Rose smiled sadly as he approached, slowing down as he came nearer. It was obvious that he was going to hug her, but had thought better of it at the last moment, "Why…?"

She looked to the ground for help with that one, avoiding his eye at all costs. There was no mistaking the hurt in his voice, the pain. She shook her head, struggling to find the words, "I just… I can't…" she looked into his eyes for the last bit, her pain equalling his, "I don't want to hurt you." then she returned her gaze to her shoes, only looking up briefly when he didn't speak.

"Rose… you could never hurt me," his eyes were so filled with honesty, Rose almost believed him when he said that, but then Jack and Jamee stepped out of the TARDIS, and Rose remembered what she'd done.

"But I did, didn't I? I left… and I regretted it, but I left… and I hurt us both." She spoke with such force and yet, so much sorrow, the Doctor found himself a little taken aback by her words.

"Yes, Rose. You left, and it hurt. But that doesn't mean you'll leave again, or you'll hurt me again…" he trailed off, noticing the tears shinning in her eyes, despite the fact that she still wouldn't look him in the eye, "Rose, look at me…" he spoke softly, and she slowly raised her head and vision to see the man standing in front of her, "You hurt me… but it hurts more not to have you with me… you could hurt me a thousand ways, a thousand times, but nothing could be worse than not having you with me… I need you…Rose… I _need_ you… please…" he was practically on his knees, begging her. She could see the sincerity in the Doctor's eyes as he took her hand and asked her to stay, "It hurts more without you…"

Rose's watery eyes couldn't hold in the tears for much longer and, as she closed her arms around him, she felt a few slipping out.

She grinned against his shoulder, and let the Doctor whip her off her feet and spin her around a few times, laughing as he set her down carefully. Neither made any move to let go of the other, so they just stood like that, in the middle of an empty alleyway, holding onto each other as though they were the last two beings on Earth.

"Thank you…" Rose whispered into the Doctor's ear without moving her arms from around his neck.

The Doctor shook his head, and loosened his grip on her waist, pulling her away slightly so he could look at her, "No… thank _you_. My Rose Tyler."

Both grinned, and in a moment, they were lost in each others arms again.

"I think we need to take this off…" the Doctor suggested, fingering the large pack still resting on Rose's back, "Shall we…?" he offered her his arm, which she took without a second's hesitation. "No running off this time…" he warned, leading his Rose back to the TARDIS.

"Never…" she whispered, then screamed as he lifted her off her feet and carried her the rest of the way back to the TARDIS.

_I love you_, the Doctor thought, but he didn't say it. _There'll be plenty of time for that yet… first… we've got planets to pick!_

They danced past Jamee and Jack – stood sentry-like by the door, one on either side – and into the grand machine, Rose still in the Doctor's arms.

Then the other two laughed and disappeared into the small, blue box, making it four. Then the box was gone, and the only clue that any of them had been there was a few tears, still resting on the ground.

.o0o0o

Inside the TARDIS, Jamee and Jack were trying to apologise to Rose for what they said earlier, but she was having none of it.

"For the last time! It was not your fault! You were just looking out for the Doctor, something I should've been doing too!"

"Yes, but that's still no excuse, I should've seen how happy you make him… and how happy he makes you…"

"No!" Rose interrupted for what felt like the millionth time, "I'm not hearing it! You were right, and I was stupid… but none of that matters now, because I'm back, and I'm never going to leave again."

"But…" Jamee tried about three times, each time interrupted by a sound "No!" from Rose.

"The Doctor says to come and pick a destination… he wants to go somewhere special," Jack shouted, jumping into the room and ending the conversation.

Rose smiled, "Coming!" she turned to Jamee, "You?" Jamee nodded and smiled, before both girls followed Jack out of the room.

"Oh, and Rose…" Jack said, turning to face her, so he was walking backwards, "I'm sorry about what I said…"

**The End.**

**Because Everyone Deserves A Second Chance**

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